The state of art on European refugee integration policies: identifying gaps and searching for novel approaches

The abstract is giving an overview of the research design of my doctorate thesis aiming at a comparative policy analysis of several European countries and their approaches to economic integration of refugees. Economic self-sufficiency of individuals is a desirable goal for governments of the receiving countries, since it reduces the burden on welfare system (Juzwaik et al., 2014). However, studies show that humanitarian migrants experience higher rates of unemployment than other types of immigrants and natives (Ott, 2013). Many scholars have underlined that immigrants’ integration is a complex process, shaped not only by individual characteristics of the integrating persons but also by the host government’s policies towards them (Mestheneos & Ioannidi, 2002). Our understanding of the causes facilitating or hampering incorporation of humanitarian migrants into the receiving societies still has gaps, which could potentially lead to ineffective policy solutions. This paper reviews the literature on policies towards forced migration to highlight underexplored areas when explaining differences in refugees’ integration across European countries. In clarifying the role of policies on economic integration, the empirical studies have either provided detailed accounts of the tools implemented by governments and NGOs, or tested the causal power of single provisions to the economic achievements of humanitarian migrants. The results of the studies in the former stream are rich, yet - especially when they challenge theoretical expectations - can hardly be generalised. Those from the latter can claim wider validity for their findings, yet often leave underexplored the complexity of the factors affecting refugees’ economic integration. I suggest that the new light on integration of forced migrants can be shed by a research design aiming at configurations of ‘insufficient-but-necessary’ and ‘unnecessary-but-sufficient’ policy instruments (Mackie, 1965; Salamon, 2000; Howlett, 2010).